It's been a long time between drinks for a
Japanese side trying to reclaim the glory days of
the 1960's and 70's.

Olympic Gold in 1964 and 1976, silver in 1968 and 1972
along with World Championship titles in 1962, 1967 and
1974 are a reflection of Japan's power and supremacy
30 years ago but now their national side is in the
process of trying to relive those memories.

Team officials believe the non-participation in the
last Olympics was a big setback and this has resulted
in the appointment by the Japan Volleyball Association
to hire present coach Masahiro Yoshikawa, the former
head coach of Japan's then Championship Team, NEC.

However, Yoshikawa’s effort could not bear fruit
despite his and his players’ hard work. In
particular, the result at the World Championship
in 2002 fell desperately short of the JVA’s
expectations and the JVA finally reached a
decision that drastic reform was absolutely
necessary in order to qualify for the Olympics in
Athens.

Shoichi Yanagimoto, a bronze medalist at the ’74
World Championship in Mexico and an experienced
coach, replaced Yoshikawa, and launched his new
squad immediately after the V. League, Japan’s
premier league. Over thirty players - from two
Olympians Tomoko Yoshihara and Asako Tajimi, to
fresh and promising players Kana Oyama and Megumi
Kurihara - were invited to the inaugural camp.

Naturally lacking in height - Sano at 158cm being the
shortest player - Japan's liberos will be crucial to
any substantial improvement but one thing can be
guaranteed there will nothing lacking in Japan's
determination to see their name back on the podium:

Core players
remain the same as the previous years but younger
talent like the lanky Sachiko Sugiyama (184 cm) are
expected to be key players in the future.

Since April, through competing in many
international competitions, such as The Volley
Masters (6th) (Switzerland), the 2003 World Grand
Prix, Italy (9th) and the Asian Championship
(Vietnam), the young and promising players have
been improving rapidly and the young Japanese team
ended up runners-up by defeating their arch rivals
Korea at the Asian women’s Championship – Japan
was 4th at the previous Championship two years ago.

Not only technically gifted, but mentally as well,
Japan’s squad is remarkably well-balanced. The
skipper, Tomoko Yoshihawa, pulls all the members
together by giving advice to young players and the
setter, Takeshita, who is composed all the time,
gives accurate indications to her teammates on the
court. Being supported by those experienced
players, newcomers can express themselves without
feeling anxious about making errors.

Japan used to be a powerhouse in the past and
Yanagimoto’s squad are strongly aware that the
World Cup and going to Athens will be the first
steps to returning to the top. They also know that,
if they play like they do in everyday training,
they will be able to get good results at the World
Cup 2003.